Why the Best Businesses are Transparent Ones

Carol Mentis,August 17, 2018

Control and accountability are now the watchwords of modern industry and commerce.

They are the only way to be sure of remaining competitive.

It started back in the 1980s when fascination with Japanese efficiency stimulated the adaptation of Lean Manufacturing principles. Since then, UK organisations have been in a race to do things quicker, slicker and with less waste.

This is now translating into an insatiable appetite for connectivity, robotics, automation and AI. They are perceived as vital to achieve great efficiency and end-to-end management. Every company has one eye on the next piece of software, cloud technology or machinery being developed to boost productivity and control.

Within all this, there is a central theme – the need for greater transparency.

Transparency to create data flow

Gone are the days when organisations were a series of separate departments and teams, closely guarding their domains and entirely responsible for their own targets.

Now, successful companies need information flowing through their entire organisation seamlessly. From the smallest components purchased, through the production line to the feedback from customers, manufacturers need complete visibility.

It impacts on the service sector too; being able to account for every minute, and ensure that everything is constantly measured and improved.

The digital workplace has played a vital role in making this possible. It provides software to forensically examine data from any or all parts of the company.

The digital workplace also offers predictive capabilities. Organisations can chart future trends and profitability to ensure that they can continue to be productive and position and promote products effectively.

It’s all fuelled by greater transparency. No company can afford to have pockets of resistance to the need for continuous data. Nor can teams be allowed to keep their cards close to their chest, using software or methodology that doesn’t synchronise with central systems.

An efficient and effective company is one that is entirely accountable and clear in its operations.

Staff transparency

Modern companies also need transparency to create fully engaged staff who share the company vision.

The rottweiler school of management belongs to the dark ages. Modern workforces require both collective reinforcement and a system of individualised support. It’s about building team spirit, but not treating them all as one homogeneous mass.

Soft skills and personalisation are now management imperatives. To be effective, there needs to be a strong degree of transparency. You can’t release the potential of each individual employee if they feel neglected, ill-informed or confused.

Today’s workforce is composed of people accustomed to having fingertip control over instant information on every topic under the sun. Even your oldest employee is probably able and willing to research, evaluate, share and report online.

A company that fails to recognise that by keeping strict controls over data – and continuing to fiercely compartmentalise information – could lose out. You may have staff unwilling to buy into the efficiencies and improvements that are so vital to modern competitiveness. If they don’t understand it or feel valued, why should they care?

Intranet software is a powerful tool in creating a culture of internal transparency. It’s the perfect conduit to share information across workforces, in a fluid but controlled manner.

It can also be a great leveller. Everyone in the organisation can receive the same information, at the same time.

Intranet software is also a vital two-way communication tool. Staff can be kept properly informed, and their thoughts, ideas and collaborative endeavours can be collated efficiently.

This is not just about better morale either. From transparency such as this, comes vital business intel. A well-informed staff team – whose opinions are sought – will be far more likely to raise problems and issues, and come up with constructive suggestions.

The alternative is someone studiously completing their daily tasks in isolation, with no understanding of the value or context of their role. When you are up against pressure due to major threats or opportunities, such a fragmented approach can reveal dangerous cracks in workforce knowledge and interconnectivity.

Transparency as a PR tool

Modern management teams need to be clear and open about their goals, history, performance and operations. Without giving away sensitive information that competitors can take advantage of, clearly.

This will also impress customers too.

One study found that around 94% of consumers felt greater brand loyalty to companies that are considered transparent in their business operations. There were even 73% willing to pay more for products from completely transparent companies.

This is no doubt a knock-on effect of the high levels of scepticism that have crept into the universal psyche, fuelled by such things as identity theft and other cybercrime, the global economic crash and the many social and political upheavals of recent times. The public is also hyper-aware of how profit has overshadowed quality and even ethics in the past.

It is reassuring to find companies willing to be entirely transparent in all their dealings and operations.

The opposite is a company with a distrustful customer base and ill-informed staff. Both of which have infinite opportunities to spread rumours and start damaging viral campaigns.

The ultimate transparency tool

The digital workplace – and particularly intranet software – are the bedrock of a culture of transparency. They provide the perfect way to collect company-wide information quickly and disseminate it to staff instantly.

Get in touch with the experts at Claromentis to discuss how configuring intranet software in the right way will build control, accountability and transparency within your business